Cars and Coffee, January, 2014

But first, a conversation (soliloquy?) I had with K this morning:

K:  I only have two real hobbies....books, coffee, and chocolate.

ME:  Wha....What?  (She's like a female Yogi Berra!)

I suspected the January Cars and Coffee wouldn't be that great as the weather wasn't, either.  The temp was only in the 30's, but the wind was really kicking up making it pretty miserable.  I managed to stay warm enough, but I think my eyeballs are windburned.  Ouch!

I did manage to see well enough to appreciate this beautiful Morgan, though. It's even the right color (IMO) for an English sports car...British Racing Green.

While it wasn't cherry, and in fact looked to have been "well enjoyed", I still like this era Porsche 911.

A badge on the rear identified this car as a proud member of the "Porsche 356 Tub Club".  He/she also appears to do a lot of vintage racing.

This one is for you, Doug.  As I recall you liked the Porsche 968.

The agony and the ecstasy....those nasty 1970-ish government mandated bumpers on an otherwise very nice BMW 2002.

There seemed to be a lot of the "boy racer" types out today.

I'll at least give this Mazda owner some style points.

No points, though, for this VeeDub refugee from the frozen tundra, aka Canada. It must have been a slow trip south, what with those tires rubbing the inside of the fender wells like that.

This little egg-looking thing is winning a lot of praise from the automotive press these days.  It's a ST model Ford....umm...."egg-looking thing". 

A slick '56 Cheeeevy.

And a '57 from my yout, too.

'57 was a good year for Thunderbirds also.

I'm guessing this Lamborghini Murcielago owner, billing himself as "the Violin Guy", is writing off his car as a business expense.   That, or he's the ultimate narcissist.

There are always a lot of photographers at Cars and Coffee, for obvious reason.  This guy, however, had the coolest set up I've seen yet.  He could raise and lower his camera and still maintain the perfect  angle to view his subject.  A definite "Big Boy Toy".

You've heard of "chick cars"?  This lady wore her "chick-ness" loud and proud!

Which begs the question....why do some model cars, like this BMW Z3, get a reputation for being a "chick car"?  Another is a Mazda Miata.  Why?  What is it about a car that makes it a chick car?  Anybody....?

That's my take on Cars and Coffee for this month.  :)

S 

Cars and Coffee, July 2013

I think we're in the summer doldrums.  It wasn't that hot yesterday morning, but it was uncomfortably muggy, the kind of muggy that makes you just wanna stay inside.  Still there were some diehard car aficionados like me who ventured out to see and be seen.  Some highlights:

The British contingent was rather skimpy this month.  I did see a few that turned my head, though, like this Aston Martin Vantage in the right color.  (That would be British Racing Green.)

Ditto for this modern-but-old-looking Morgan.

But what happened here?  This is a right-hand-drive Morgan with a back seat (why?) and this ridiculous looking tarp canopy.  And that color!  *gasp*

Not to worry, however, as this nice Jaguar E-Type saved the day for Her Majesty's Empire....

....with an able assist from his E-Type Coupe chum.  (Leave it to the Brits to re-define "hatchback".)

The Germans were present and in fine fettle, showing off this classic 30's era BMW 327 (?).

Kudos to whoever restored it.

And at the other extreme....

....was this little BMW Isetta 1300.  These little micro-cars are turning up more at shows here.  Wonder where they've been before now?  This one was a 3-wheeler and was actually tagged as a "Classic Motorcycle".

It adds a whole 'nuther dimension to the term "Spartan", doesn't it?  Love the little gear shift sticking out the side panel.  Haha!

How about a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of BMW Z-8's?

Raise your hand if you've ever seen one of these?  (I haven't.)

It's a 1986 Renault (French) Alpine.

And for something American I offer you this very nice Ford Model A (?).  This one was blue.  I thought Henry Ford said "You can have any color you want as long as it's black"? Maybe not the original color?

  
Or you could have this V-10 Dodge Viper in Wallflower Green.  "It'll pass everything but a gas station."

Bazinga!  Fiat 500 Abarth.  Nice wheels.

But my personal favorite of the day was one of the aforementioned BMW Z-8's....

It's hard to believe this is a 13-year-old design!

Think it will ever depreciate enough for me to afford it?  (Short answer:  NO!)

Back home later I tried to tell Luke about everything I'd seen, but he didn't seem too interested.  I guess he isn't a "car guy".

Enjoy the rest of your day.  ;)

S

More cars....Let the good times roll! With EDIT

Last Sunday I trekked to White Rock Lake Park in east Dallas for The All British and European Car Day show.  I had frankly forgotten about it until my friend Robert mentioned it the day before.  If it wasn't for his chance comment I would have missed it.  *Oh, the horror*

The weather was nice, the scenery beautiful.

As the event name implies, most of the cars on display were British. Austin Healey and Triumph both were very well represented:

The first car that caught my attention was this gorgeous 1959 Austin Healey 100.  

But alas, I had to two-time the 100 for this 1970 Austin Healey 3000.  Nice, huh?

The owner of this 1963 Triumph TR3 almost lost it....to ME!  (Yes, Grand Theft Auto briefly crossed my mind.)

I'm sure this little Triumph GT6 was quite a screamer back in its day.  I'd love to have it, although I really don't think the white shows it off to its fullest.

Nice Spitfire.  (OK, I hate to get picky, but see those two torpedoes sticking out front?  That's what happens when the government gets involved in car design.  Shame on them!  (Robert....think the owner will take the hint?  :)

My two favorite Jaguar's being shown were this XK150....

....and this XK140.  I think I prefer the older 140.

Lots of nice MG's present too, like this pre government-rubber-bumper-mandated MGB....

....and this fine MGA, complete with iguana hood ornament.  (A factory option?)

And of course, everyone loves Mini's.

A couple of nice ones, despite the non-stock wheels.

I had never seen an original Mini Countryman before this.  Interesting.

At the extreme other end of the spectrum were the Rolls Royce's.

Join me for a picnic?  I'll bring the bubbly.  ;)

I'm a fan of Morgan's.

This one in British Racing Green would look much nicer if my name was on the title.

And don't forget, the show title mentioned European cars, too.

I fully expected to see The Saint jump in this Volvo P1800 and fly away, Mrs. Peel at his side.  (Look it up.)

This was a show-stopper for me:  A 1938 Peugeot 402.  I've never seen one before, and probably never will again.

French cars are....how should I say this?....odd.  Example:  The headlight placement on the 402.

Of course, the British have had their eccentric moments, too, such as with this 3-wheel Reliant Rialto.

Car people do have a sense of humor!

This Nash Metropolitan was of interest to me only because it's the type car I learned to drive in. It was so small, at 9-years old I could still see over the steering wheel, reach the pedals, and shift the 3-on-the-tree.  *good times*

Oh, yes....Italian.  Alfa Romeo Spyder.  :)  And....

SURPRISE!

You knew I'd somehow slip in a Fiat 500, didn't you?  (Pay attention Joan Perry  :)

And finally, another in the obscure category:

A 40's era (?) Rover.

I'm hoping this was a "one-of-a-kind".

This is enough for now.  I'm burning daylight.  Hope you enjoyed.  :)

S

Late edit for JoeH:

There was an MG TF there, too.  (Oops...the license plate says TD.  My bad.)